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Growing up I’d felt like such a clumsy giraffe. It wasn’t until I started cooking seriously that I found my place in the world. In the kitchen, my height didn’t matter. It helped that I was strong and muscular, too. Standing on my feet all day demanded a lot of energy.
“I like this place too,” Finley said to Soren, her chin raised slightly. “It has character.”
“Do you have places like this in England?” Sammie asked Finley.
“Kind of. There’s a different vibe here—I’m not sure I could explain the difference, other than in Montana the beers are cold and chips are not french fries.” She gestured around the bar with a manicured hand. “All these people letting loose on a Saturday night. What could be better?”
“Is there anything you don’t love?” Soren asked gruffly.
Finley’s brow creased, and she stared at him as if trying to figure out a mystery. I knew the feeling. Of the brothers, Soren and Caspian were the hardest to read. If I were right, and my instincts about people usually were, Soren used his gruff exterior to keep people away. As far as I could tell, he was only close with his brothers.
Rafferty appeared, grabbing a chair from another table to join us. We all scooted closer to make room. Which meant I was that much closer to Caspian; the side of his leg pressed against mine, sending sparks of warmth throughout my entire body. It would be so easy to just lean closer and put my head on his shoulder. Not that I ever would. I didn’t need that kind of humiliation.
“Sorry I’m late,” Rafferty said. “I had to check on a patient.”
“House call?” Caspian poured him a mug of beer and set it in front of him.
“That’s right. One of my elderly patients. She’s all alone, and I worry about her falling. I have to pretend I’m not really checking up on her, so I make excuses. Today it was that I had a piece of wedding cake for her.”
“That’s really kind of you,” I said. In Seattle, it would take a unique set of circumstances for a doctor to make a house call.
“It’s the least I can do. I hope someone will care about me when I’m that age.” Rafferty poured himself a beer from the pitcher and took a modest sip, leaving foam above his upper lip. He wiped it away with a corner of a cocktail napkin.
On the other end of the table, a heated discussion broke out between Finley and Soren about the state of the world. Soren figured we were on the brink of disaster. Finley felt the opposite.
“The world’s a beautiful place with wonderful, interesting people wherever you go,” Finley said. “We mustn’t succumb to such negative thinking.”
“It’srealisticthinking,” Soren said, reaching for the pitcher closest to him.
“You’ve lived here all your life,” Finley said. “How could you have such a jaded view? This place is idyllic.”
“Hardly,” Soren said. “Dig a little deeper and you’ll find as much dysfunction here as anywhere else.”
“It’s sad,” Finley said.
“What’s sad?” Soren scowled, obviously agitated.
“That you have such a negative outlook on life.” Finley picked up her mug but didn’t take a drink. Pink dotted her cheeks and neck. Soren must really get under her skin. Opposites. Did opposites attract? In this case, I was going to have to say no.
I thought for a moment about what it must have been like to live in a place like Bluefern for one’s whole life. Although small in size, there were a lot of outdoor activities to keep kids occupied. Not that I was naive enough to think bad things didn’t happen in small towns. Caspian’s father’s demise was the perfect example. Sitting here, however, watching people enjoying themselves on a lazy Saturday night, it was hard to imagine such a desperate and violent act could go on here.
“I think we should do some shots,” Thad said, clearly trying to ease the tension. “Who’s in?”
Thad leaped up, looking around for any interest. The general consensus seemed to be positive, including mine. Fortunately, tomorrow was my day off. A little hangover might hurt, but I could spend the day recuperating. It’s not as if I had that much to do. As much as I enjoyed some downtime, I’d found it hardto fill my empty days. I missed my friends from home and Aunt Biddie, of course.
“Not me,” Rafferty said, holding up his hands. “I’m technically on call.”
“Isn’t that pretty much every night?” Caspian asked. “You should hire someone to help so you don’t have to be always on the hook.”
“I’m working on it,” Rafferty said. “I have a lead on a nurse practitioner who might be interested. But it would require her to move here, and that’s a big lifestyle change for most folks.”
“How often do you get called in the middle of the night?” I asked.
“Not that much, actually,” Rafferty said. “But there’s a chance someone could need me. That keeps me from over-imbibing.”
“Good man,” Thad said.
The brothers exchanged a sweet smile before Thad took off for the bar. What was it with these Moon brothers? They were all kind and giving. Even Soren’s cantankerous exterior couldn’t hide his innate goodness. Their mama raised them right.
